


Methos and Joe Walk Into a Bar

by MERains



Series: Friends or Enemies [3]
Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen, s 3 ep 21 Finale ep 22 Finale part 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-19
Updated: 2013-10-19
Packaged: 2017-12-29 20:22:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1009665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MERains/pseuds/MERains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Methos plays the blues, makes a sometimes friend, and stays a step ahead of the rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Methos and Joe Walk Into a Bar

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing, I am just playing.

Well these past few days have sucked immensely. Will he ever stop being disappointed by others disappointment in him? Just because he has lived for five thousand years he is supposed to have a good idea for how to deal with a grieving, bitter, angry woman who is about to destroy everything her husband loved? He is an old man, but still just a man; which means he has no more understanding of how to deal with a woman than any other man.  
  
At least Joe didn’t require a long drawn out explanation. All he had to say was he was just a man and that was enough for him. Methos is certainly growing to appreciate Joe’s zest for life. The man definitely has an irascible charm. First he tries to comfort and reason with a grieving woman, then he tries to shoot her, and for the grand finale he punches his boss and gets knocked on his ass in return. Life hasn’t been this interesting in centuries.  
  
Of course he has a very good reason for avoiding this type of excitement; the desire to truly live forever being the reason. No tombstones for the five thousand year old man. It is good to have friends who can take care of his enemies for him. MacLeod defeating Kalas was a beautiful thing. He did it with such style lighting up the Eiffel Tower that way. He really will have to find a way to repay MacLeod for that. However repayment will have to wait, for now it is time for a celebration.  
  
The celebration on MacLeod’s barge doesn’t last long for Joe, Methos, Amanda and MacLeod. Amanda and MacLeod obviously want to be alone so with minimal teasing he takes his coat from Joe and says, “Come on buddy, let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into.” After leaving the barge and getting into Methos car he asks Joe if he wants to get a drink. Joe agrees and they head off to a Parisian blues bar.  
  
“The music is good, the ambience is spectacular, the beer is cold, my friends are still alive, and our secrets are safe. It’s a good day to be alive.” Joe motions the bartender over and asks “Do you have any stage time available?” He points to Methos, “This guy claims he can play the blues.” Joe smirks at Methos “We’ll play together,” he turns back to the bartender who tells them to go on up after the set is finished. “What do you say buddy we’ll play Rollin Stone?” Joe asks Methos, his voice sharp and his eyes taunting Methos just daring him to play.  
  
“You don’t think I can play, do you?”  
  
“That is what I am trying to find out.”  
  
“Have you decided to accept my offer of friendship?”  
  
“Not yet.”  
  
“So what, you think if I play music with you then you will learn some truth about me that you otherwise would not have known? That is preposterous.” Methos tells Joe.  
  
“Oh I’ll definitely learn something about you.” Joe disagrees with Methos; from that statement alone he learns that Methos doesn’t know anything important about music if he hasn’t learned how many truths a musician reveals in the way they play. Joe could be completely wrong and Methos does know this truth of music and doesn’t want to share his musical truths with Joe yet. Either way Joe wants to play with Methos and find the answer.  
  
“Fine we will play Rollin Stone and you can tell me what exciting truths you have learned that otherwise you would never have known.” Methos shakes his head and rolls his eyes at Joe.  
  
After the house band is finished Methos comments to Joe “We have no guitars. What a pity we shall have to play another time.”  
  
“That’s alright Adam, I know a lot of musicians and I happen know the guys up on stage pretty well. Let’s see if they will let us borrow a couple of back-up guitars.”  
  
Joe makes nice with the band in order to procure the use of their guitars while Methos wonders to himself how he still manages to get himself into these situations. It is always the arts that get him. Joe motions Methos over to the stage, Methos gets up and whispers “Let the humiliation commence.”  
  
Joe and Methos get up on the stage with Joe singing about catfish and women while playing the guitar with such heart and soul it can’t help but showcase all the ways Methos is lacking. Methos plays with such technical brilliance it would have taken years to learn to play that well; for it to be such an epic failure is painful to listen to. When they are finished playing the audience claps politely, unsure how to respond to such a performance while Methos and Joe leave the stage.  
  
“So, you never played with Muddy Waters.” It’s a statement not a question but Methos responds anyway.  
  
“No I did not. It is amazing how sometimes a person can tell what truth is and what a lie is without being there when the event occurred. Immortals can live so long and know so much anything that requires time to learn is not a problem for us. We can be anything, learn anything, and do anything; except what you can do. Great painters, writers, or musicians we will never be. You would think that anything scientific or mathematic would be our place to shine. Well you would be wrong. Greatness in any field requires a certain type of artistry, a fire, a spark of life and brilliance none of us have. There is only one place an immortal can shine and that place is on the field of battle.” Methos sadly informs Joe.  
  
“There have been Immortals who were great artists before their mortal death. It is possible that one day they may find whatever they lost when they first died and become great again.”  
  
Methos punches Joe in the shoulder, “You are such a kid, believing in fairytales like that. Joe I have been alive over five thousand years and I have never seen it happen. The only thing an Immortal can be great at is survival. It is the only thing I am great at. I am happy to be a great survivor so I can enjoy all the extraordinary things mortals create. But every now and then I yearn for the ability to create something extraordinary myself.”  
  
“In all the time that you have lived, you don’t think you have created anything extraordinary?” Joe looks at Methos who negatively shakes his head. “That just doesn’t seem possible.”  
  
Methos looks back at Joe, his eyes incredibly old and sad, “Spoken like a man who lives to create something extraordinary every day.”  
  
“Well I believe I have had enough for one night, time to take me back to my hotel old man.” Joe thanks the bartender and says goodbye to the band. He and Methos head out to his car so he can drop Joe off at his hotel before continuing with evening. When they arrive at Joe’s hotel, before he gets out of the car he says to Methos “I’m a Watcher, you are an Immortal pretending to be a Watcher. The best I can offer is sometimes we will be friends and sometimes we won’t.”  
  
“That’s a terrible offer, I love it. I am an awful friend so it works out perfectly for me.”  
  
Joe shakes his head at Methos, “I will see you later.”  
  
“Bye Joe.” Methos waits for Joe to get inside the hotel before driving to Shakespeare and Company to retrieve the disk hid between the books. He knew after the debacle with Kristine Saltzer all copies would be destroyed so he hid one in the American bookstore after the Watcher’s searched the place thoroughly.  
  
All of the work he and Dan Saltzer had done would be for nothing if it was destroyed. Granted his reasons for wanting the database were different from Dan’s but it doesn’t change the fact that Dan was his friend and this was important to him. Now Methos has at his fingertips information of all Immortals and Watcher’s just in case he needs it in the future. To live five thousand years an Immortal must always be one step ahead of the rest.


End file.
